Oskar Blues - Dale's Pale Ale

I like to think that Dale got this beer named after him simply because his name rhymes with Pale and Ale. I like the world to be simple like that. There could be another reason but there's no blurb on the can so I'm going to assume that he's some sort of hermit who, until he created this beer for Oskar Blues, lived in the forest with a herd of owls and brewed using hollowed tree stumps to store his wonderful booze. This is probably all inaccurate.

Dale's Pale Ale pours a warm dark amber and gives you about 2 fingers of head, which leaves thick lacing, which in some parts of the glass creates a wall of suds. There is a slight herbal twang on top of the particularly sweet malty smell which pushes the aroma away from "standard" and towards "interesting." There's light earthy hop notes in there too which give hints to its character and flavour.

I don't know who this Dale is but I like the cut of his slacks! Dale's Pale Ale is light, creamy with a bitter twang, refreshing and slightly piney which suggests to me the use of Amarillo somewhere in the process. This is a beer that is quite dangerously drinkable and it's quite charming in a way. It pours like honey, smells a bit earthy, tastes a bit piney, I'm starting to think my ideas of Dale being a hermit from the woods aren't that far from the truth.

Whatever the truth of the matter is, this is an easily chuggable beer, which at 6.5% will do you few favours. Oskar Blues seem to make beer that tastes a few percentage points below where it actually is. This could be a 4.5%, I wouldn't be surprised. It just says to me that Oskar Blues are playing for keeps, they don't care about your liver and your responsibilities, they care about making smooth, delicious beer that obliterates your eyesight and/or memory!

Food Suggestion: Chips (English usage. Translation: Fries.) Home made chips with a dash of sea salt, preferably near a beach.

Drink this if you like: Any craft Pale with American hops.